PENTECOST SUNDAY HOMILY by Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus

 HOMILY FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY YEAR C

Acts 2: 1-11; Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-30, 34;  1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7; 12-13; John 20:19-23

THE PENTECOST EXPERIENCE

May you continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that you may use the gifts (charismata or charisms) which God has given you for the edification of the community of believers. AMEN ALLELUIA

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the day the church was sent on mission, the day the Church was declared open to the entire world, the end of the Easter season.  Our readings speak of the gift of the Holy Spirit and what that means for the church.  Today is all part of the paschal (Easter) mystery.  In fact, the Gospel reading comes from a Resurrection appearance on Easter Sunday afternoon. This takes place on Easter Sunday evening. Just as in the Pentecost story in the First Reading, the disciples of Jesus are gathered together behind lock doors. They sense an emptiness due to the absence of their Master and Teacher, who was crucified three days before. They were confused and not sure what they should do. They are afraid to even go outside because they might be arrested. They have been promised that the presence of the Lord Jesus would be made manifest on this, the third day since His death.  

All of the sudden Jesus stands before them.  He comes in power and glory. They sense the abiding presence of Jesus. They start to put things together and realize they have nothing to fear, especially after Jesus speaks His first word to them: “Shalom! Jesus then breathes on them and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit. What is amazing in both these accounts is the change that takes place in the lives of the disciples after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. They become transformed individuals who are willing to step out in faith.  Ruah is the Hebrew word for Spirit. Ruah also has other meanings:  Breath or Wind, a power which cannot be seen, but whose effect can be experienced. This Ruah is the Ruah of God, the Breath of God which God breathed into Adam at his creation, giving him life (Genesis 2:7).  This Ruah is the Spirit of God which (who) blew the Red Sea apart at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 14:21). This Ruah is the breeze which (whom) the prophet Elijah experienced when he was told that God was near (1 Kings 19: 12). This same Ruah is breathing new life into the disciples of the Lord Jesus making them strong, bold, and determined to carry on the work of Jesus. The Spirit of God (Ruah YHWH) blows where the Spirit wills. The Spirit transforms and gives life. The Spirit is not seen directly, but is powerful in the ways the Spirit manifests the presence of God.  

The first reading (Acts 2:1-11), describes in detail the miraculous transformation that took place during the first Pentecost, thus fulfilling the promise of Jesus to his apostles that they would receive Power from on high. There was first a noise like a strong driving wind. Then there were tongues as of fire resting on the disciples, and each of them was filled with the Holy Spirit. The first manifestation of their reception of the Holy Spirit came when the apostles burst out of doors and began to proclaim the Good News of Jesus; everyone there (regardless of their many different native languages), was able to understand them in his own tongue.  The Jews in the crowds came from sixteen different geographical regions. The miracle of tongues on Pentecost thus reverses the confusion of tongues wrought by God at the Tower of Babel, as described in Genesis 11. Later, the Acts of the Apostles describes how the Holy Spirit empowered the early Christians to bear witness to Christ by their sharing love and strong Faith.  This "anointing by the Holy Spirit also strengthened the early Christian martyrs during the period of brutal persecution that followed. 

In the Refrain for the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 104), we pray, Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth, asking God for a fresh anointing of the Spirit for all of us.

Paul, in the Second Reading, from 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 today, speaks about how the Holy Spirit affects the Church. It is by the power of the Spirit that believers can profess that Jesus is Lord. It is the Spirit who gives different gifts of service so the Body of Christ (the church) can be edified (built up) and served. The different forms of service which come with the manifestation of the Spirit are for the benefit of the whole.  We are all united in the common drink:  the drink of the one Spirit.

Paul explains how the sharing of the various spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit enriches the Church.  He refers to the varieties of gifts given to the Church as coming from the same Spirit who activates all of them in Christians for the common good. They are described as the gifts, fruits and charisms of the Spirit. They may take different forms like prophecy, teaching, administration, acts of charity, healing and speaking in tongues, and they may reside in different persons like apostles, prophets, teachers, and healers and so on. Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit in his Letter to the Galatians What the Spirit brings is  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23a). He continues, Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit (5:25). Paul insists that these spiritual gifts are to be used in the present time for the benefit of others, for the common good and for the building up of the Body of Christ.

In the Sequence of today, the Church repeats her payer of invitation to the Holy Spirit to come to us all now and details the effects His presence and His gifts will have on all of us, if we choose to receive them.

The Gospel today relates how the Risen Jesus gave his apostles a foretaste of Pentecost on the evening of Easter Sunday by appearing to them and sending them to carry on the mission given him by his Heavenly Father. He then empowered them to do so by breathing upon them and saying, Receive the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, Jesus fulfilled his promise to send the Advocate or Paraclete. The gift of the Spirit would enable them to fulfill Jesus commission to preach the Gospel to all nations.  The Gospel of today also tells us how Jesus gave to the Apostles the power and authority to forgive sins: Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained. These wonderful words, which bind together inseparably the presence of the Holy Spirit with the gift of forgiveness, are referred to directly in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But they have a much wider meaning. These words remind us of the Christian vocation we all have, to love and forgive as we have been loved and forgiven in the world of today, which is often fiercely judgmental and vengeful.  

Dear Sisters and Brothers, as we continue in this journey of faith, we should be more and more impressed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life and the people around us. I am aware of the Spirit of God with me at times when I am writing these reflections or listening to persons who are sharing their problems with me. I might write something or say something.  I begin to imagine where the idea and knowledge come from.  I know it is not me who came up with it.  I realize the power of the Holy Spirit has used me to provide the words to the person who needed to hear the words that came out of my mouth or onto the monitor as I write, but the words were not really my words. When I am aware of the presence of the God who is manifested in any one of three persons, it is then that I know what it means to be gifted by the Spirit of God.  The experience comes, and I know that I am in relationship with God.  It is not my doing  it is gift from God. This is what it means to be spiritual. It has nothing to do with me, other than my being aware of it, it has everything to do with God. It is transforming, empowering, enlightening. It is an awesome experience. And this awareness of the presence in our lives is something that each and everyone has been promised. This is the gift which Jesus has left us. Let us continue to pray, Veni, Sancte Spiritus!  Come, Holy Spirit.

You need this Pentecost experience. The Holy Spirit has been active from the creation of the world. In Genesis, the Holy Spirit was active during creation. In Numbers 11, The Spirit rested on the seventy elders and they prophesized. In Ezekiel 37:1-14, the Spirit took over Ezekiel and he prophesied about the dry bone rising again. You need this Holy Spirit.  In Joel 3:1-5 (Joel 2:25-27), the Lord God Sabbaoth promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, so that Our Sons and Daughters shall prophesy, and our old men shall dream dreams. And with this Spirit, God will work wonders. In Judges 3, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel and allowed him to deliver the Israelites from the Cushites giving them 40 years of rest. In 1 Samuel 10, the Spirit of the Lord possessed Samuel and put him into a prophetic frenzy. In Isaiah 11, Isaiah prophesied all of the gifts of the Spirit will be given to the shoot of Jesse. In Ezekiel 11 & 36, The Spirit removes the heart of stone, and gives us a heart of flesh. In Mark 2, the Spirit gives us the ability to read hearts. In Luke 1, the Spirit came upon Mary, and conceived Jesus, and allowed Elizabeth and John the Baptist to know when Jesus was near. In Luke 2, the Holy Spirit rested on Simeon so that he could prophesize to Mary. In Luke 4, the Holy Spirit led Jesus, and he followed. In Luke 6 (and throughout the New Testament), the Holy Spirit cures the sick and drives out the unclean spirits. In John 14, Jesus tells us the Spirit of truth will abide with you and he will be in you. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the ability to speak in all languages, and gave Peter the words and confidence to preach the Gospel in the Temple. In Acts 7, the Holy Spirit gave Stephen the words to proclaim Salvation History and the strength to endure being stoned. In Revelation 1, the Spirit showed St. John what is to come which is written in Revelation. The Holy Spirit still gives us the gifts to speak the truth and continue the work that Jesus began, which is to bring us closer to God. Dearly beloved, you need this Holy Spirit. You need this Pentecost Experience.

It is the role of the Holy Spirit to enkindle within us the grace we need in order to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to know the Father as our Father.  The Holy Spirit makes us who we are as Christians.  The Holy Spirit also has the unique role of animating the Church in our day and age.  The Church here means everyone who is alive in Christ; everyone who has grace in their lives; everyone following the will of the Father and living out their Christian dignity as sons and daughters of God.  The Holy Spirit makes this happen in a perfect and orchestrated way.

Dearly beloved, we need to be Spirit-filled Christians: Spirit-filled people acknowledge their weaknesses, ask for the strengthening, anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit every morning, ask for His forgiveness every evening, and pass on that forgiveness to those who sin against them. Spirit-filled people are praying people. Paul encourages us, Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray for all the people of God (Eph 6:18). They are praying and worshipping God in their families and parishes. They try to grow continually in their Faith, and they seek out every opportunity to discover Christ and what it means to be children of God. Spirit-filled people are people who allow the Spirit to change their lives through their daily reading of the Bible and their frequenting of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. Spirit-filled people speak words that heal, restore, make people happy and build people up instead of tearing them down. Spirit-filled people pass on the love of God to the people living around them by their acts of kindness, mercy and charity. Hence, let us ask the Holy Spirit for a spirit of love instead of hate, a spirit of helpfulness instead of non-cooperation, a spirit of generosity instead of greed and a spirit of gentleness in place of our spirit of ruthlessness. (Fr. Antony Kadavil)

LET US PRAY We ask that You will continue to come to as Holy Ruah so that we can use the gifts You have given us for the edification and building up of the Body of Christ.  May we work together to help one another as we travel along the path which leads to You. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN 

O DIVINE WORD WHO TOOK FLESH FOR HUMAN SAKE, REDEEM US IN OUR SITUATION

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa